Electric cooking apparatus



' A. B. GARMAN nuac'rnxc 0001mm APPARATUS Filed Nov. 30. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORN EY 2 Sheets-Shea A. B. GARMAN ELECTRIC COOKING APPARATUS Filed Nov.

L Patented Aug. 24, 1926.

UNITED, s'f'ATEs' PATENT OFFICE.

:e. camps, or sax FRANGISCQ, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRIC COOKING APPARAIU? Applipation filed November 80, 1925. Serial F0. 72,081.

This invention relates to improvements in electric cooking apparatus, and more particularly to electric cookers of the portable t pe having heat-insulated ovens and mova le heat-absorbing electric heating-elements. A I

The present invention covers improvements and refinements of construction in the type of portable electric ovens shown and escribed in my two co-pending applications, Serial No. 686,433, filed January 15, 1924, and Serial 'No. 714,298, filed May 16, 1924.

' The primary object of the invention is the provision of an electric cooker having a cat insulated oven adapted to prevent heat radiation and, when brought to the proper heating or cooking temperature by the heating-element, to retain this temperature with a minimum consumption of electric current.

Another object is the provision of an electric cooker provided with heating-elements, borne by a heat-absorbing non-conductor of electro-current body, adapted to be moved to different levels and to make, automatically, electric contacts upon proper placement of said body upon a particular level.

' A further object of the invention is to provide, in a device of the character designated, a removable auxiliary cooker adapted for convenient and ready attachment to and detachment from the oven door and soar- 7 rangled as to swing into and out of the oven as t- -sion .of an indepen 0 door is closed or opened and provida suitable independent rece tacle for bearing conveniently divers artic es of food to be cooked, which, an auxiliary cooker, ma after completio of the cooking, be detac ed from the oven door, with contents intact; as a preliminary to serving thefood.

An additional object is the provision of i heat-absorbin body constituted of'a non conductive re ractory material, such as cement or come diatomaceous which, when thoroughly heated y the elec- 1 'tric heating-elements, will continue to 'radi ate heat sufiicient to com lets the cooking, after the manner of the ess cooker, or that ma have varying degrees of heat imparted ereto through varying the number of heating-elements to be energized.

Additional to the foregoing isthe provident heating-element borne by the oven exteriorly and ofsimilar 5 construction to that of the 'oven heating elepreparation,v

in, and the independent heating-element carried exterioily thereby;

F 'gure 2 is a plan view of the heating elements, showing the method of placing the coils in elongated slots formed in the heatabsorbing body, the method of connecting the coils into selective units, and the switches controlling their selective or collec tive operation;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken through the heat-absorbing body, showing the slotted formation of this body to provide coil housings, the section being taken on the line 33 of Figure-2;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the cooker, showing, in general; the constructional details, the door beingshown closed, the auxiliary cooker indicated by dot-anddash lines, and the heating-elements connected for use; Fi re 5 is a perspective view of the remova le auxiliary cooker, shown as detached from the oven door for clearness ofillustration;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the wire rack, which fits within the auxiliary cooker and is adapted to hold a plurality of cooking utensilsin spaced relationship; 7 igure 7 is' a sectional detail of a portion of the heat-absorbing body, showing one of the coils in place and one of the selective switches in open position; and I Figure 8 is a perspective view of the condenser, which fits in the upper part of the oven and is adapted to carry ofi such products of condensation as may accumulate thereon. V a Referring more particularly to the drawings, my invention comprises an inner casdivided by sheets of metal bent to form ribbed spacing members '3, 4 and 5, which are inserted from one side of the cooker before the side plates are secured in place-- the said spacing members being arranged horizontally within the outer casing 2, at top, bottom, back and sides, forming a plu rality of dead-air chambers 6, completely surrounding the inner casing 1 except at the front side. The space'7 between the inner casing 1 and the spacing members 3, 4 and 5 is filled with cement, or like material to form a heat-insulating shell 8 ofuniform thickness of wall, except the bottom 9, which is somewhat thicker than the side walls and top, as shown in Figure 4. The whole, as thus formed, constitutes a cooking chamber 10, having a cast door 11 closing its front side, the door being hinged to the cooker by means of integrally formed lugs 12- and 13 inserted in notches 14 and 15 formed in the upper and lower corners of the doorframe 16. O

The electric heating-elements 17 are formed of coils of michrome wire and are housed within the heat-absorbing body 18,

as shown in Figure 2. The body 18 com- .and ribs 22 being adapted to house and SllfpOIt the heating-elements 17 in spaced r ation to each other, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the coils being held in place by means of a plurality of rods centrally secured between the body sections 19 and 20. The heating-elements 23-24, 25, 26 and 27-28 are selectively controlled, either in pairs as 23-24 and 27-28, or singly as 25 and 26, or in such combinations with the central pair 33-34 as may be desired, by means of crank-switches 29, 30, 31 and 32. The centrally positioned non-selective elements 33 and 34 are connected to the rods 35 and 36 and are always being energized when the terminals 37 and 38 are inserted in any one of the sockets 39, 40 and 41. A

maximum degree of heat may be attained in the cooking chamber 10 by cutting in all the 00118 23,24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 33 and 34, and, as desired, after the proper degree of heat for cooking purposes has been reached, these coils, excepting 33 and 34, may be de-energized successively or collectively by cutting out the heating units comprised of these coils, through the actuation of the switches 29, 30, 31 and 32, the coils 33 and 34 continuing to be energized until theterminals 37 and 38 have been removed from the plugs,

or until the main source of electrical supply 42 has been cut oil by the manipulation of a swiwh in the circuit (not shown).

The auxiliary cooker43 ishingedly secured to the inner surface of the door 11 by means of brackets 44 and 45 bearing hinge pintles adapted for insertion into hearing brackets 46 and 47 riveted centrally of the door, the said cooker comprising semicylindrical sections 48 and 49 having hooked edges 50 and 51 adapted to interlock, the section 49 being slidable vertically relative to the section 48, to give access to the cooker proper. The section 48 is provided with a flanged bottom 52 adapted for the support of a wire frame 53 having a bottom support 54 and a plurality of utensil-retaining supports 55. The auxiliary cooker, as thus constituted, may be filled with articles of food to be cooked and swung into the oven above the heat-absorbing body 18 hearing the heating-elements, as shown in dot-and-dash position, Figure 4.

The body 18 may rest upon the bottom 9 of the cooking chamber 10, with the terminals 37 and 38 plugged into the socket 39; or it may be raised to the position shown in Figure 4 and rest upon the angle-iron brackets 56, with the terminals plugged into the socket 40; or it may be raised to the top level and rest upon the angle-iron brackets 57 iwith the terminals plugged into the socket 1.

A condenser hood 58 having flanges is supported near the top of the chamber 10 by angle-iron brackets 59, the flanges being borne by the sides of said hood and tapering in the direction of the rear of the cooker chamber 10 to give the proper inclination .to the hood to facilitate drainage, the hood otally secured to the top side of the outer casing of the cooker, as indicated at 62, the terminals 63 and 64 being arcuately arranged to conform to the pivotal point/62 and adapted to make contact with the plug 65 rigidly mounted in position u n the oven top by means of a clip, or li e fastener 66. The element 61 is of construction similar to that of the heat-absorbing body 18, except that the cement or diatomaceous material 67 bearin the heating coils 68 is enclosed in a suitabfia metal frame of circular or oval form, with the heating coils all connected into the circuit, none of the coils being adapted for selective operation. L

The e ement 61 is independently energized and operated relative to the heating elements confined within the cooker chamber 10, the provision of this element being solel as an additional and outside heating unit or convenience in hurriedly making cofiee or heatin water.

e cooker chamber 10 is provided'with core, and cut in sections equal to of a valve-controlled vent 71, as a means for 5 The main oven body is supportedby means of four spherical supports 69 placed under the corners of the frame and secured thereto by means of bolts 70.

The heating coils are preferably formed of 22/1000 michrome wire coiled about a their required length, these sections being drawn out to the full re uired length.

Having thus describe my invention, I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent: I 1.'In an elect ic cooker, the combination with a heat-ins lated oven consisting of an inner and an outer casing having interposed therebetween spacing members and a cement filler, of a heat-absorbing body of non-conductive refractory material molded in sec tions and bearing a pluralit of slots, a plurality of electric heating coi s housed in said slots and arranged as selective and non-selective units, an electrical circuit for said units slip-sockets mounted in said oven at varyin levels, sli -plugs connecting said units an adapted F r insertion in sald'slip-sockets to close the circuit in. said non-selective units, and rotatable contacts for cutting in and cut-- ting out any number or all of said selective units.

2. In an electric cooker, the combination 5 with a heat-insulated oven consisting of an inner and an outer casing having interposed therebetween spacing members and a cement filler, of a removable heat-absorbing bod of non-conductive refractory material am? of sectional construction, a lurality of slots formed in said sections an adapted to house a plurality of electric heating ,coils arran d in selective and non-selective units, an e ectrical circuit for said units, means for making slip contacts between said circuit and said coils to close the circuit in said non-selective heating coils, and rotatable contacts connectv ed in said circuit and adapted to selectively or collectivel energize said'selective units. 3. In an e ectric cooking apparatus, the combination with a heat-insulated oven consisting of an inner and an outer casing having interposed therebetween horizontall dis osed spacin members and a cement fil er etween s'ai spacing members and said inner casing, of a removable heat-absorbing body of non-conductive refractory material molded into complementary sections bearing a plurality of s ots a pluralit of electric heatin coils housed in said slbts and ar-- range in selective and non-selective units, an electric circuit for said coils, sli connections between said heat-insulated and the removable heat-absorbing body ada ted for the energization of the non-se- OVER lective heatin coils at all times when contact I is made, an switches bearing rotatable make-and-break contacts connected in said circuit and adapted through manual actuation to selectively ener ize or de-energize certain or all of said se ective units. In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

ALBERT B. GARMAN. 

